I’m not sure who signed up for this session, so, please pass this along if I omitted someone.

First and foremost, I love you all so very much! Thank you for your support during my mom’s illness and passing. If you did not see the thank you card or I didn’t get a chance to hug you, the Edible fruit basket, the visits, the calls and e-mails, prayers and thoughts were just “what the doctor ordered.” Please know that you all are NUMBER ONE!

Okay, now it’s time for ME to STOP giving into the “bad” COMFORT FOODS and get back on track. Chris, did bless me with some “good” COMFORT SOUP while I was on leave. I kinda felt guilty eating it since I knew I was NOT counting any POINTS. But it was GOOD and COMFORTING! J But really, it’s time for ME to get serious again, get focused, and get started. I want to get some “stars” too! Congratulations to all of you who did meet your goals in Week One. The Goals Chart will reflect additional Warriors next week. Amen Warriors? Amen!

I’m down for the challenge. How about you?

If you are interested in trying TOFU or wanted to try a new recipe, I’ve attached a few that peeked my interest. I will be modifying the recipe a little and plan to try one of them this weekend. Enjoy and have a blessed day! I’m so happy to be back.

The BIG DAY is drawing near. Session Three will commence on Tuesday, May 24, in the Conference Center Room 1. Are you ready to go? I hope that everyone will return. Near the end of Session Two we saw a slight “falling off” of the family. It made me “a little sad” but many of you promised that you will be returning. Now, I’m no longer “a little sad.” I’m “ very happy.” “I need you, you need me, we a part of a happy FAMILY.” Folk in the other modes envy us. They want so very badly to join us. We wanted to give the FMCSA family first dibs and now we are considering opening the door by invitation “only” to others. WE ARE CONSIDERING IT. We don’t want you to miss out on the action. We have a “power packed” session planned for “us.” I would hate to give up your seat.

The upcoming “months” are going to be very challenging (weddings, graduations, cook-outs, beach, vacation, too hot to turn on the oven) and the list goes on and on and on. Don’t get caught up in the sabotage. We have the “back-up plan” just for US.

I’m reaching out to each of you because you are family and I care. So since I care about you and me – let’s care about one another. When we see a brother or a sister down, let’s continue to lift them up with that ole fashion “encouragement.” Take a little time out to care about someone else and listen to what they might need to share. In Session Three, let’s “Dare to Soar!” We know that we can do anything we put our “heart and mind to.” Let’s put our “heart, mind, and soul” to committing to LOVE OURSELVES UNCONDITIONALLY AND GET HEALTHY FOR A LIFETIME. We know that it starts within the “mind.” We don’t have to “bite off more than we can chew” – no pun intended. J We just need to start out with “baby bites” e.g. come to class, share your struggles and successes, commit to journaling 4 days out of the 7, drink 6 glasses of water, exercise for 30 minutes 2 days out of the week, etc. Take your “baby steps” to get you started. We just want you to get started.

You think we have done something in Sessions 1-2, oh my goodness you are in for a big SURPRISE. The team has worked hard to keep it interesting for us all because we want all of us to KEEP COMING BACK. We have too many success stories to sit down now. We still have a long way to go. So don’t leave me hanging during the summer months. Hang w/me!

I had to stop what I was doing to talk to my peps for a moment. I love you guys and I truly look forward to “seeing LESS of us.” Let’s take the plunge together in Session Three! We heard you. You said you needed us to keep it going. Now, it’s up to all of “US” to keep it going. We’re like a team – it takes “EVERYONE” working together to make it a success and worthwhile.

Based on Maggie’s discussion yesterday, we are adding another challenge Limit and/or Omit Sodium Nitrate from our meal planning this week. We’ve done this challenge before. Let’s see if we can be more successful at it this time around.

Two Challenges for the Week:

1-Minute Desk Exercises and 1 “NO” Elevator Day

Limit/Omit Sodium Nitrate from your meal planning this week

The overall weight loss improved this week. Give yourself a BIG HUG if you helped make this happen. Everyone will strive to do better this week so we can keep the numbers moving in the RIGHT direction. We hope that you have a great week/weekend and we hope to see “less of us” next week.

I was reading an article the other day that spoke to a study that was completed in 2004, at the University of Chicago. It noted that even partial sleep deprivation changes the way circulating levels of hormones regulate hunger. This in turn causes an increase in appetite and a preference for high-calorie, high-carbohydrate foods.

It noted that study participants who slept only four hours each, for two nights, had an 18% decrease in leptin, and a 28% increase in ghrelin. Leptin is a hormone that plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure. It tells the brain when you've had enough to eat. Ghrelin is the first circulating hormone and its function is to trigger hunger. Lack of sleep produces ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, and also creates less leptin, whose job it is to suppress appetite.

Interestingly, this particular study consisted of healthy, young men, who when sleep deprived, reported a 24% increase in appetite, along with a strong desire for sweets, salty foods, and starchy foods.

Did you know? In the past 40 years, adult Americans have reduced the amount of time they sleep by two hours each night. As sleep time decreased, average weights increased. In 1960, only one in nine adults were obese compared to 2007, when the statistics jumped to nearly one in three!

Could this be the obstacle to your success? If so, let’s try to get more sleep because our wellness journey depends on it.

Good Morning Wellness Warriors! We are so happy to have you back for Session Two of the Wellness Warrior’s group. We are thrilled to have new members in this 12-week session. As we stated on yesterday and throughout Session One, we are a family “walking” together on this journey to a healthier and happier lifestyle. Together We Can Do This!

For those who missed the meeting on yesterday –Let’s Get Started, everyone was given a challenge for the week. The challenge is to “journal” EVERYDAY this week and bring your journals to class each week. That’s right “bite it – write it,” drink it – ink it.” Jot down EVERYTHING that you put in your mouth. We know that when we write things down, we have a tendency to remember those things. For me, journaling is my conscience. What a conscience! :-)

We are going to have a wonderful time this session supporting and encouraging one another. We have some great “weekly” topics to share and we hope to have a speaker or two come in to share with us about nutrition, health, exercise, etc.

So if you are not REAL sure about whether you are ready to take the PLUNGE to a HEALTHIER and HAPPIER lifestyle, we think when you hear next week’s presentation “Are You Really Committed,” your mind will be made up. This is a WIN, WIN commitment. You WINby taking charge of YOU and we WIN by having you join the family on this 12-week journey. TRY IT – YOU WILL LIKE IT!

Our registration fee is $20 for the 12-weeks and the deadline for payment is Tuesday, February 22. Please see Vivian Oliver, Nikki McDavid, or Arlene Thompson before or during class.

Have an awesome weekend. Don’t forget to use the “tools” that we have given you; and we look forward to seeing “less of us” next week!

New members we will be meeting today from 12 to 1:00 p.m. in Conference Room 1. We need to equip you with your “tools.” So you can “get started.”

We really enjoyed our closing “surprise” healthy luncheon on yesterday. We had a great turnout (16). Many of you were at off-site meetings – you were missed.

We thanked everyone who completed and submitted their self assessments. We would love to hear from everyone. The assessments were not just thrown in a drawer somewhere; we read and discussed each one. We received very good feedback. Some of the information is being used in our upcoming session. So don’t think that your feedback is not needed and/or appreciated.

We did an overview of the next session. Some good “stuff” is being planned! Registration is “officially” open. The following are links to the Wellness Warrior’s Website and the registration site. If you know of someone who may be interested, please share the links with them.

The Web site is being “slightly” revamped to make it more “user” friendly – no longer “password” protected. So, please use it freely. Going forward you will need to visit the Website on a regular basis to stay “in tune” with “What’s Happening” in the Wellness Warriors World.

We are pushing “get moving” next session. Toni Douglas shared about her goal of 10,000+ steps daily. Dr. Oz encourages 10,000 steps and now a few of us are encouraged to do the 10,000+ steps daily.

We did some research and found a great pedometer. Today is my first full day of using it and it is the bomb. If you are interested, I have shared my thrill about the pedometer and a link to the Website.

Personal Testimony: This morning I put on my wonderful pedometer. I cleaned off my car, went up and down the stairs a few times. By the time I got on the treadmill at the gym, it registered 878. When I got off the treadmill it registered 4789 after 30 minutes of moderate to intense walking. From the 4789 that registered after the workout 3692 was aerobic, 20.8g of fat calories burned, 336 calories burned, and 2.78 miles walked. At 10:08 a.m., my pedometer is registering 6345steps, 23.4g of fat calories burned, 383 calories burned and 3.20 miles walked. Whoohoo! I’m on my way to 10,000 steps today. The pedometer resets itself at midnight tonight so I should make it! Whoohoo! I think I’ll come by and visit some of you right now so I can get some more steps in! See you soon!

Go in and get registered.

Peace.

The pedometer information is below. This one is from Amazon and recommended by Dr. Oz. (Thanks Marietta!)

Good morning Warriors! Before I forget to give you the information, we will be meeting in Room 2 today at 12 noon. Please plan to be there since this will be the last class of Session 1. We have something special to share with each of you. Whoohoo!

The team met on Saturday to plan for Session 2. We had a very productive day!

We are the Wellness Warriors and we will be saying one day MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Keep in mind that “this too shall pass.” This is a brand new day. Let go of our thoughts of not fully accomplishing what we might have set out to do in October and latch on to this GLORIOUS new day. We have no control over yesterday but we most definitely have some control over today.

While we have a 2-week break before we start Session 2 on February 1, let’s be careful to stay focused and continue to journal and exercise as we go forth on our Health and Wellness journey. Don’t reintroduce ourselves to the TRIGGER FOODS. Remain focused on our target/prize so we don’t sink back into our old habits and bad behaviors. We have to find happiness on our journey. We want to get there so fast but we didn’t put it on so fast. Did we? What we didn’t accomplish in Session 1 – can be accomplished in Session 2. Let’s stick together and be determined to DO IT!

“Somebody said it couldn’t be done, but she with a chuckle replied, that “maybe it couldn’t, but she would be one who wouldn’t say so till she tried.” Let’s continue on our journey to better Health and Wellness so we can turn that “couldn’t be done to – I did it!”

Vacation is OVER! For some of us – it is time to get BACK ON TRACK. How was your journey during the holidays? Did you follow the program a “lil” bit? Did you do at least 1 hour of exercise during the last 2 weeks? Well if you did not, don’t beat yourself up. It is a NEW DAY! That is why I love this program - because we ARE NOT on a DIET/TIMELINE. We are learning how to make wiser choices that will benefit us for the REST OF OUR LIVES. Since we started this journey, some on October 19 and others shortly thereafter, I’m sure each of us can say that we have learned/observed some things about self that we were not previously aware of – to name a few:

This is good! If we had not taken the plunge before the holidays, we would have been 100+ pounds heavier and less knowledgeable. Now that we are back and have had time to reflect, we are ready to STOP “strolling” on this journey and start “kicking butt!” No more EXCUSES. Lace up those tennis shoes, invest in a pedometer, pull out those measuring cups, purchase that case of water and start drinking it, dust off those journals and start using it, take the cotton out of our ears, take the blinders off, start looking in the mirror from the front and not the side (don’t suck in that gut) and GET REAL with oneself! We need to lose this weight the RIGHT WAY and keep it off.

You received a SELF ASSESSMENT before you left for the holidays. Please take them out and complete them before class on tomorrow. Stop by my desk if you have misplaced your original. Make yourself a copy because we will be collecting your original. STOP!I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT. JUST FILL IT OUT. NO EXCUSES.JUST DO IT. IT IS TIME TO ACCEPT REALITY. THIS IS OUR LIFE AND WE NEED TO TAKE CONTROL OF IT RIGHT NOW!

Complete your SELF ASSESSMENT today so you can “vent” like I’ve just did. GET IT OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM TODAY. WE WILL BE MOVING FORWARD ON TOMORROW. WE LEFT 2010 IN 2010. WE ARE IN 2011 - STEPIN TOWARDS A HEALTHIER, LEANER, HAPPIER US!

I hope that everyone is doing well! Although we did not have class and you didn’t weigh in on yesterday, I trust that everyone remained on “track.” For those of us who may have slipped a little, don’t be dismayed. Let’s get back up and start over today. I can’t say it enough, we are on a JOURNEY. One day at a time is the way we ROLL.

If you did not take time to do a self assessment last week, you have another week to “think” on it. While you are sitting down looking at TV or riding the metro, etc ponder on what your JOURNEY has been like the last 7 weeks. Is it going the way you had hoped? What do you need to alter? Are you “seriously” mentally there yet? How can your peers (Warriors) help you?

We are not on this JOURNEY alone.No one should be stressing over not having the right “directions" (Website), getting “mugged along the way" (each other), unaware of “what and where” you should eat(Website), “fear” of what is ahead(Class), not having the necessary “tools" (Website), and not being “physically” prepared to go on (Activity Points), etc. We are traveling together – that’s the beauty of it all.

Stay focused (read and re-read your weekly materials). Stay armed when you are out shopping (healthy snacks). Stay active (workout). Stay MOTIVATED! DON’T GIVE UP! WE HAVE COME TOO FAR AND WE ARE NOT THERE YET. YOU ARE LOOKING GOOD! Give yourself a great big hug for what you have accomplished in just 7 weeks.

Good morning Warriors,I trust that everyone had a great weekend journaling, taking your self assessment, and getting in some activity. Good! Time is fleeting and before we have time to blink an eye – the holidays will be upon us. In honor of our colleague Dorothea Grymmes, the Wellness Warriors meeting is being canceled. However, don’t lose focus. Stay on program and work harder to have greater results next week. Have a good week and we hope to see “less” of everyone next week!